Truth of Heart
by Serenia
Summary: Alumniera, the new possessor of the Millennium Scales, finds Seto Kaiba (an old friend) in a difficult situation and must help him-with Yugi. Specific summary in disclaimer.
1. Alumniera

Truth of Heart  
  
Disclaimer-I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! And probably never will.  
  
This fic-my first on this site-is about a girl named Alumniera, an old friend of the Kaiba Brothers. NOT a Mary Sue fic! Anyway, she gains possession of the Millennium Scales, and soon she seeks out Yugi Muto for information, when she gets pulled into a situation where Kaiba is kidnapped.   
  
/ ____ / Yugi to Yami  
\ ____ \ Yami to Yugi  
  
P.S. I changed these into .txt files, so now if the punctuation is messed it isn't anymore! That was because if it was on any Encoding besides Chinese Traditional it was completely unreadable...  
  
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CHAPTER 1-ALUMNIERA  
  
| SEKAI HOUSEHOLD |  
  
  
Alumniera twisted in bed, rustling the silk covers. As she turned, she made out the dark outline of the Millennium Scales sitting on her drawer. She sucked in her lips. It was that thing...that non-living thing...which had caused her so much worry. Why was it, now, that it was hers? She sat up quietly, and pushed off the blankets. Reaching for the Scales, she cradled it in her arms. For some reason, she thought that it ought to belong to her...that would explain why the same Eye on the Scales was on the altar her mother and ancestors had bowed down to for so many years. But then again...the Scale seemed to hold so much power...power that she didn't deserve. Power, like Shadi had said-" Power can be one's enemy as much as one's friend." Closing her eyes, she remembered.  
  
******Flashback******  
  
The brutal sun shone down unmercifully upon the bustling Marketplace. A lone girl, known by the name Alumniera, walked through the streets, glancing at merchandise. Egypt was quite new for her-the strange people that crowded the streets, the silence that you felt but didn't hear. The cream-colored silk aoku she wore graced the fact that she was a visitor, and her clear, deep, sea-blue eyes complimented her pale face. Cascades of straight, thin jet-black hair tumbled to her shoulder blades; the few strands of hair behind her ears were curlicues that gently fell down her back. As she made her way up the path, a glimpse of a man in a white turban caught her attention. The man himself seemed to be studying her, but flipped his back and continued briskly toward his destination. Alumniera followed, curious. The girl rounded a corner to an alleyway. The streets were deserted. She turned, searching for the man. A hand closed around her mouth. Alumniera started, surprised. " Heed my warning," the man whispered, " Do not follow me, or you will be led to power beyond your imagination, and beyond your stature." He pivoted and went forth. Alumniera rounded, prepared to go back...but soon she was following the man, down a street, descending upon a pair of old stone steps... The man turned suddenly. Alumniera stepped back in alarm. " I..." The man's eyes gleamed, not with anger, but with...something else. " So you have chosen to disregard my warning. For this you will be tested." He turned, and a Scale with an eye on it was in his hand. The girl froze in fear. The Scale held a feather...a single, pure white feather. The other held nothing, but she could see that the feather was tilting up...then down. " Your heart is true," the man murmured, " I am Shadi. You are chosen for this Millennium Item, for it has chosen you as well. " He handed her the Scales. As soon as Alumniera hands made contact with the smooth metal, she felt herself suddenly floating away to another world...and her dead mother was there, smiling. " Alumniera...how I have missed you." " Mother? But...how can it be? I saw you buried!" she exclaimed. She came back to the real world with a start. " She was there," the girl burst into broken sobs, " I saw her, I saw her!" Shadi looked at her skeptically. " Desire is an unworthy thing," he managed, " But can be satisfied. You will have to work for it, but remember this always-'Power can be one's enemy as much as one's friend'." Then he was gone.  
  
******End Flashback******  
  
| DOMINO HIGH: AFTER SCHOOL |  
  
" At least we had a sub in math. No homework." Tea mused. " Gah. Science was worse, the teach was all in a mood, and she gave tons." Joey amended bitterly. " Do any of you want to go to catch a soda or something? I don't know about any of you, but I'm starving." Yugi said, grinning. Just then a pallid white limo drove up to Kaiba Corp. " That's not Kaiba's car..." Bakura blinked. Joey whistled. " Whoever owns that is loaded. " They weren't kept in suspense long about the owner, because a young girl in an old-fashioned traditional outfit stepped out. " She looks important," whispered Tea. " Yeah." Yugi answered, frowning. Joey whistled again. " And she is hot." Tea elbowed him in the ribs. " Hey! What was that for?" he said, rubbing the spot. " She's younger than you by at least two years, idiot," she hissed. " So?" asked Joey boldly. Tea jogged him in the ribs again. Meanwhile Yugi was mind talking with his Yami.   
  
/ She looks familiar... /  
\ I recognize her from something... \  
/ What? /  
\ I'm not sure...it's somewhere in the back of my mind. \  
/ She's not dangerous, though, right? /  
\ I doubt it. \  
/Should we talk to her? /  
\Let's see what she's doing at Kaiba Corporation first, and then find out more. \  
  
| KAIBA CORPORATION |  
  
" Hey, guys?" Yugi interrupted. " I'm going to go home first...I think I left-er, something there and I need it." Tea looked concerned. " Do you want us to go with you?" she asked. " Uh, no...no, just go get something to eat, I'll catch up with you guys later," he finished quickly. As soon as his friends were out of sight, he transformed into Yami. Slowly, Yami made his way up the marble steps of Kaiba Corp. Surprisingly, the girl was headed toward the mansion, where Mokuba and Seto Kaiba both lived. Yami frowned, puzzled. This girl wasn't here on business? He followed her, and went into the house with her, hiding behind the opened door. " Miss Sekai," said the butler curtly, " Shall I inform Kaiba of your visit?" The girl shook her dark head. " No. I've come to see Mokuba...I'll see myself to his room, thank you," she replied, her clear voice tinted with an English accent. " Very well," answered the butler dryly, and he left the room. Yami blinked, pondering how he was going to get to Mokuba's room without being seen. Inside his mind, Yugi snapped his fingers. " Mokuba once told me about a passageway he used to spy on other people...it should be right around...here!" After tapping a small ivory knob protruding out of the wall, it cleared to reveal a dark pathway. Yami closed the entrance, then walked through the hall, following the sound of the girl's footsteps on the floor above. Soon the hall leveled out, and Yami was there.  
As he peered through a small hole cut in the wall, apparently for Mokuba's convenience, he spotted Mokuba himself playing a video game. He was pressing the buttons on the controller, his eyes glued to the screen when there was a knock on the door. Mokuba jumped. He hastily turned off the television, and jammed the controller under his bed. The young boy quickly dug out his homework and put it on his desk, then went to open the door. Yami smiled, amused. The girl beamed when she saw him, and Mokuba seemed to exhale a sigh of relief. " I thought you were my brother," he greeted her. " No," laughed the girl, " You've been playing video games right? Before doing your homework?" she added slyly. Mokuba grinned. " What do you need, Alumniera?" Alumniera sucked in her lips, then hesitantly spoke, not sure if she was doing the right thing. " Mokuba, do you recognize this?" she asked softly, pulling out something from behind her back. Yami's eyes widened. A Millennium Item! Mokuba studied it for a moment, then took it in his hand, and squinted. " I've seen the design before...the eye, I mean...on a friend of mine's neck." The girl's blue eyes grew larger. " Where?" she rasped.  
" Well...his name's Yugi Muto, but I don't think..." Mokuba answered doubtfully. Yami bent closer toward the hole. " Don't think what?" Alumniera asked quietly. " Seto would kill me if I turned to him...you see, my brother doesn't... doesn't like him much," he added reluctantly. " Well...I'll send a messenger to ask for his presence one day, then," she resolved. Yami continued to spy, much more alert. " Hey, Alumniera..." Mokuba interrupted, as she stood up to leave, " Why didn't you ask Seto instead?" Alumniera averted her gaze, then thoughtfully said, " Seto...well, if I came and wanted to ask Seto something, he would probably send a message saying he was too busy." Mokuba thought about the days when he himself was unable to talk to Seto, because he was always working on projects or his computer. " But...you're his friend." Alumniera smiled ruefully. " Being a friend of his doesn't get me all the time he has on earth. Your brother...he's just- like that." As he turned away, Mokuba struggled with his mind, thinking of the brother he knew from his childhood, and the one that was always busy.  
Alumniera looked back. The poor child, she thought, her thirteen-year old sympathy kicking in. Turning back, she dropped down softly next to Mokuba. " Has Kaiba ever told you how I met him?" she implored. Mokuba tilted his head, realizing his brother hadn't. " No." The girl tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. Yami's ears perked up in interest. Alumniera's eyes misted over as she began her story. Or to her, a memory. " You see, I met your brother when I was eight. You were five, he was ten. Gozaburo Kaiba, your adoptive father, was a friend of my father's. Gozaburo-your father-was training Seto as his successor, and as I was the top martial arts karate child competitor in the country at the moment-" " You were?" interrupted Mokuba. Alumniera laughed when she saw the look on his face. " It came to me as easily as video games do for you, and though I was only eight...well, then I was directed to combat with him." Mokuba's eyes widened. " You mean fight?" Alumniera nodded wirily.   
" I was doubtful when I first saw him. Though he was two years older than me, I was tall for my age and only two or three inches shorter. He didn't seem to have much skill, but there was a stoic passion in his eyes...I've never forgotten it. I knew he could probably jump on someone and force something out of him-but all the karate moves? Impossible. I took up beginning stance-he did so as well. Now that I think about it, I don't suppose he actually had any instruction. In the beginning, I passed out a few lazy punches and kicks-Seto dodged them all, and his eyes never left what I was doing. He seemed to be...observing, almost. After that I started to aim with harder strokes, and he blocked them all, then mirrored some of the moves I just made. It was incredible. In that hour, I felt he had learned everything it had taken me to learn in a year, and we made absolutely no progress as we blocked and kicked, dodged and punched. I didn't speak to him at all that first time. Then they kept us at it everyday, alone in the courtyard, and I stopped to tell the names of the moves and how to use them. But when I found him in a room-"   
" Alumniera, thank you for the touching story," interrupted a voice curtly from the doorway, " That will be enough." Mokuba snapped back to reality, and he flushed when he saw the anger in his brother's eyes. Alumniera blinked slowly, then stood and held her gaze with Seto's glare. " He-shouldn't-know," said Kaiba, between gritted teeth. As they talked, Yami wondered incredulously what Mokuba 'shouldn't know', and what had changed when Alumniera had found young Kaiba in the room... Instinctively, Yami tried to press even closer to the small hole for a better view. " It was a matter of time, Seto," she began quietly, " I can not believe that you would keep the truth away from him for so long. Your brother himself doesn't understand why you've changed, and he has reached for false clues that will lead him to no where but lies," she replied coolly. Kaiba glowered. " It was weakness. I can't tolerate it," responded Kaiba spitefully. " As weak as not being able to reveal the truth?" retorted Alumniera softly. " There are some things meant not to be told," he answered acidly. Kaiba turned away. " Come on, Mokuba. You can leave on your own?" he asked in a final tone. Alumniera's eyes gleamed. " Of course."   
  
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Review away! Flame or compliment...whatever. Next chap. should be out soon...more Kaiba in that one. 


	2. Looking Back

Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.   
  
Yeah, I know, phony chapter title. Anyway this part is a bit more informative...lots of Seto.   
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CHAPTER 2-LOOKING BACK  
  
  
| DOMINO HIGH |  
  
" Kaiba sure seems busy," murmured Tea, glancing over at the preoccupied Kaiba. " Ah forget it. Probably just reprogramming summat," yawned Joey. " Yeah," agreed Tristan. Yugi sat by himself in a corner, mind talking with his Yami.   
  
\ There is something about Kaiba's past that he conceals. \  
/ Do you know anything about it? /  
\ Just that he was trained to inherit his company, and he learned martial arts from that girl yesterday... \  
/ Martial arts? Why would he learn martial arts from a girl? /  
\ She was top in the country...but the girl will be looking for you soon, Yugi, for she possesses the Millennium Scales. \  
/ She has a Millennium Item?! /  
\ Yes, and I think she can help recover what my past was like... \   
  
" Hey Yuge!" Yugi turned back with a start, " Huh?" " Teacher's here. Snap out of it," mumbled Tristan. Yugi quickly turned a leaf in his textbook, and meanwhile caught a glimpse of Kaiba. I wonder what he's hiding about his past...  
  
******Flashback******  
  
" Seto!" The ten-year-old boy opened his eyes groggily. " Yes father?" " Get up and go to the programming room." Seto glanced toward his clock. " It's...midnight," he said, still under the covers. " Time doesn't wait for you in the business world," Gozaburo snapped. Easing himself up in bed, Seto plodded out the door of his bedroom, still half-asleep. As he passed his little brother's room, he allowed himself to peer in to see he was all right. After making sure of that, he rushed after Gozaburo's long strides. When they got to the programming room, Seto seated himself in the usual black leather chair. " You'll need to reprogram the base part of it, because we made a change in the project-look at the paper," ordered his adoptive father gruffly. Seto glanced at the paper shortly. He continued to type in the basic mainframe of the project, changing things up and down the document. He faltered for a moment, exhausted. Why was he up at twelve o'clock in the morning when he just went to sleep two hours before? The idle moment was interrupted when his apathetic father cuffed him across the cheek. Seto set his jaw against the smarting pain, and started to work on the document again. " Listen, boy-nobody in this world is gonna' wait for you. When you want power, you need to grab it before anyone else can, and if they do first, you either destroy it or steal it as your own. Learn from that," said Gozaburo imperatively. Seto nodded, but he was burning inside. Typing quickly, he managed to reset the document into what Gozaburo wanted. It was three o'clock when he finished. The boy clambered back to his bedroom, and dropped onto the bedspread. As he closed his eyes, he managed to push away what awaited him when he'd wake up in four hours.  
Seto quickly blocked the incoming blow from the girl. She reacted with an aimed roundhouse kick. Seto dodged to the side, and made his move with a punch. The girl smoothly moved around the punch, flexing her body back so it made no contact with the hit. She stopped. " Watch," she said, " this is a spinning back fist-you only move your hand like this. Good." Although she was two years younger than him, she was able to guide his moves to real form.. They continued to spar, impeding now and then for her to show the name of the move. The young girl set a defensive crescent kick when Seto threw a front snap punch. The older boy hurriedly enclosed a leg lock around the girl's slim legs, and his opponent toppled to the ground in a startled heap. Though she was surprised, the young child managed a smile. She pushed herself off the ground.   
" That was successful-I think we should try throws now. My father said it is a good way to get rid of the people bothering you," she laughed. " It all depends on the strength in your arm-you have to have enough energy if you're doing an one-armed throw, it requires quite an amount of focus. In the Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, which is a kind of street fighting, you can just hang on to the scruff of their neck and throw them aside. Like-" She clenched her hand around the neckline of Seto's shirt, and tossed him aside onto the mat. " This. Pardon," she added, grinning sheepishly. Helping the shocked boy up, she noticed the alarmed look on his face. " It just requires focus-think of that and you can attack someone who's older than you, even if they do weigh more," she paused. " But it took me awhile to learn that, so it might take you a mite of time to concentrate your energy. Try it in the next spar." It was astounding to the girl when she was thrown aside on the mat. " Well, mate, you're a quick learner." She stood again. " How do you figure these things out so fast? That move took me a month to master," she asked curiously. Seto turned away. " It comes easily," he answered. Quite easily, with all the 'encouragement' Gozaburo's been giving me, he thought. The girl glanced over at the clock on the granite-lined wall. " I suppose we should leave now-we'll be late. And I don't fancy your father would be happy if you were...something about a session..." Her eyes furrowed with confusion, but Seto's inner defense burned steadily and he turned away.  
" No...don't...I tried..." Seto backed with exhaustion against the desk's smooth wood. Too tired to cry out in protest, too tired to do anything but try to retreat. " Absolutely worthless! You fool!" The sharp stick flailed down again, snapping across his cheek. The sting was unbearable, and he let out a scream of pain. These 'training' sessions-a few hours which seemed like weeks, seemed beyond the boy's endurance sometimes. Barely four months ago they had started-the preparing, the projects, the immediate insults, completely planned by Gozaburo Kaiba. As Seto exited the room, worn and weary, he made it to the doorway of his room. He opened the linen closet on the corridor to the left, and helped his younger brother out. " Seto...Seto...are you...are you all right?" Mokuba asked timidly. The older boy managed a faint smile. " I'm fine," he answered, ruffling his brother's hair. " Okay." The small child's face broke into a genuine grin. " See you in a moment, 'k? Stay out of Gozaburo's sight in the meantime..." the ten-year old's face darkened. Mokuba flashed him a thumbs-up sign. " Whatever you say, big brother!"  
  
******End Flashback***  
  
Kaiba smiled without knowing it. The instructor arched an eyebrow. " Something amuses you, Mr. Kaiba?" he asked loftily. Seto looked up, regaining his dignity. " No." " Then perhaps you won't mind answering this question," he finished icily. Kaiba looked up without interest. " Seven thousand two hundred seventy-nine." The teacher was slightly annoyed. Why was the boy always able to answer anything thrown at him? Seto saw the tedious look in his eyes. Because I'm a genius, moron, he thought smugly.  
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Bad place to end, I admit it. Anyway, in the next chapter it's Mokuba, and we'll be introducing a new character...review the story if you like it, hate it, or seemingly whatever feeling you have toward it. 


	3. Thalia

Ok, I'm done with this chapter...introduces Thalia, a girl who (if I do say so myself) is remarkably like Kaiba (a bit more polite though. :P) She's not going to be his long lost sister, don't worry.  
  
Disclaimer: I own a computer, this keyboard, and myself, but I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.  
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CHAPTER 3-THALIA  
  
| DOMINO ELEMENTARY |  
  
" Do you know who that girl is?" Mokuba turned. " Which?" he asked lazily. " That one...brown hair..." His friend pointed. Mokuba scanned the school grounds, and spotted the person he was talking about. She was sitting alone under a tree, reading. He could tell she was from a different country, her eyes were different, even her face shape. Butternut brown hair fell in loose curls, held back by being tied into a ponytail, and her skin was probably only two shades lighter than her hair. The girl's eyes were both intense and clear, a cold acorn tan. The sheath of the school's uniform didn't mask the truth that she was ideally and attractively slim, with a thin figure and slender legs. " She's in our form, that's for sure..." Mokuba said. " A or B?" " We'll find out."  
" Class, this is Thalia Arisa. She's joining us from Greece as an exchange student this year. I'm sure you'll welcome her properly to our school and Japan." The teacher smiled warmly. Thalia was staring emotionlessly at her classmates, her eyes icy and steady. " Does she understand Japanese?" whispered Mokuba's friend to his seatmate. The other boy next to him shrugged. " Thalia, you can take the seat next to Aiko-the one in black." Everyone suddenly started to snicker. Aiko Hishima, a girl with shoulder-blade length ebony-colored hair, was always dressed in black. Though the school required a uniform, she was exempt for certain reasons (which no one knew), and since the dark clothes bore contrast to her sharp, pale, quiet face everybody always thought she was odd. The new girl strode to the desk, paying no attention to the chuckles, and in the process attracting everyone's interest. Tzuki Shizuko, a rather popular talkative girl (in other words-a complete busybody) passed a note quickly to her friend when the teacher turned away. Mei Samirin glanced at it and broke into a grin.  
  
She's pretty, isn't she? I know now why they talk about the Grecians so much...look at her!  
  
The instructor rounded back to face the class. " All right, the whole sixth form is starting a new project today-its categorized into our current unit on the book Silent Nights we're reading in Language Arts. You'll be working in two partner groups to form a gingerbread house, like they did in the book. When we're done, the best gingerbread house-including decorations, taste, and sight-will be picked in each class by a vote from another class. Your partners are as follows...Tzuki Shizuko and Tenchi Sayo...Kairi Lin and Ryu Shizumi...Aya Chan and Kuro Myado...Azalyn Mikari and Takashi Kirei...Thalia Arisa and Mokuba Kaiba..." Thalia averted her eyes away from the teacher. Now all she had to do was find the little twerp, some Mokuba Kaiba. Her almond-shaped brown eyes scanned the classroom, and fell on another boy who was observing her intently. Great, she thought, some kid with weird hair. As she glanced sideways at him, her eyebrows furrowed. Kaiba...where had she heard that last name?   
" I've got the sugar." Thalia motioned to the bag at her side. The boy smiled. " You can come to my house tomorrow...I have most of the other stuff. You have the hard candy, right?" Her mouth was still set in a straight line when she nodded emotionlessly, her arms crossed. It was late when Kaiba came home from work, but Mokuba was still awake. " Why are you still up?" he asked. " I have to bring a friend over tomorrow...for school, it's a project...she's from Greece, you know." Seto looked down at him. " Greece?" Mokuba shrugged. " Exchange student." Seto frowned. " Speaks Japanese?" Mokuba nodded. His brother regarded him thoughtfully. " Most foreigners don't call Japanese an easy second language...especially the ones that speak English." Mokuba blinked. " She has a perfect accent." Seto nodded slowly. " Tell me when she comes...its Saturday tomorrow, and I have the afternoon off..."   
  
| KAIBA MANSION |  
Thalia stepped onto the front marble steps of the Kaiba Mansion. She scoffed at the surroundings. Seriously, she thought, Mokuba and a brother. Living in this place? What are they, billionaires? As she rang the doorbell, the doorway opened to reveal another man. " May I ask who you're looking for?" he inquired. " I'm here to see Mokuba," she responded coolly. " Ah. Miss. Arisa. Please come in." " Thank you." She stepped forward into the spacious room. It was soon when Mokuba sprinted down the long staircase, followed by another boy. Thalia was gazing around at the antiques and expensive furniture. As she looked up, she found herself staring into a pair of unrelenting ice-blue eyes. Her own rich brown ones rivaled them in strength; the cold level hardness that survived in both. Mokuba's voice interrupted both. "Konnichiwa, Thalia!" The girl looked up, and she nodded. " Seto, this is Thalia. Thalia, this is my brother, Seto." Thalia glimpsed sideways at Mokuba's brother as she held out a hand. As the older boy shook it, he felt he needed to test the girl... " Tu parle francais?" The girl's eye's widened. " Oui," she answered cautiously. Kaiba's face contorted into a half-smirk. " Avec plaisir." " Et tu," she answered. " Where did you learn to speak French?" Seto asked in Japanese. " I major in world studies." Kaiba arched an eyebrow. " You're barely eleven." She shrugged. " I have an interest in language. Why do you think they chose me for exchange student?" She glanced away. " Le frere," the girl said suddenly. Kaiba turned to Mokuba, " Interesting friend." His brother nodded, though his eyes were weaved with confusion. " You better go work on your project."   
" These are huge..." murmured Thalia. " We had them separately ordered." Thalia stopped and observed the massive pieces of graham cracker. " I've got the icing." Mokuba said, holding out a carton of white vanilla frosting. " Good for decorations...but we need construction icing." " Huh?" Thalia looked impatiently at him. " You need construction icing to put together the pieces. I have confectioner's sugar, so all we have to do is make it..." She dug out a box of sugar from the pile, and added a few other ingredients to it. Mokuba turned on the mixer, and it started to whir. As Thalia looked at her hands, she gave out a faint smile, seeing all the white gunk on them. The smile disappeared quickly, and she twisted back to face her partner.   
" Who's your brother, anyway?" she asked casually. Mokuba looked surprised. " You didn't recognize him?" Thalia snorted. " There's more than one boy in the universe who acts like he owns the world, you know." " My brother does not," he retorted, " Anyway, he's Seto Kaiba, and he's the greatest CEO in Japan-" Thalia stepped back. " Seto Kaiba..." she ejaculated, " is your brother?" Mokuba nodded, smirking, but quickly stopped when Thalia broke out into a short laugh. " I don't believe it. That smart aleck is Seto Kaiba? The genius? The multi-billionaire?" Mokuba frowned. This was not the reaction he expected.   
Seto Kaiba was gazing with an amused look at the monitor screen, watching what was going on downstairs through the hidden video cameras he had installed. The girl-Tamara or something-was laughing. About him, nonetheless. She was damn smart; he knew that...and named after the Muse 'comedy'! What a joke...probably the only thing funny about it. His cold eyes scanned the screen one more time, then pressed a key on his laptop. It automatically flipped to his current project-Utopia. It was all quite simple-the person would input their idea of a perfect world to the computer, the computer would process, and then they had one and one objective only-to try to find the thing that would lead them out of the game, a sort of portkey. He checked the script that showed the base of the program-and smiled. It was ready.   
  
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Ok, the kidnapping part is coming in about one more chapter...I just have to tell about all the new characters first. :P Review away. :) 


	4. Millennium Items

Ok, chapter four...read and enjoy. :)   
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CHAPTER 4-MILLENNIUM ITEMS  
  
| TURTLE GAME SHOP |  
  
Alumniera walked slowly up the steps of the bright Turtle Game Shop. Her thick hair fell in a braid in the small of her back. She entered the shop, the Millennium Scales in her hand. There was an old man behind the counter, slightly shorter than she was. Her face broke into a calm smile. " Hi," she said, " Could you tell me where Yugi Muto is?" The old man frowned. " Why are you looking for him?" " I've come to ask him something," she answered. " He's not accepting challenges to duels..." the man said sharply. " I'm not dueling," Alumniera replied. She paused. " I'm a friend of Mokuba Kaiba," she said, hoping that the acquaintance could help her meet Yugi. The man arched an eyebrow, then sighed. " Yugi! There's someone here to see you!" There was a clamber on the stairs, and boy with tri-colored hair emerged into the room. He had a good-natured look on his face, and it lighted up when he saw Alumniera. " Hello," and his friendly voice surprised the girl. "Konnichiwa," she responded, her own eyes bearing a kind resemblance. Yugi was having a hurried discussion with his Yami at the moment-  
  
/ It's her! /  
\ She's come. \  
  
" Yugi, I need your help on some...things. Could you come with me?" It was a quick and direct question, completely unpredictable, but Alumniera knew it made clear what she wanted. Yugi was slightly taken aback, but he turned to the man behind the counter. " Grandpa, I'm going out for a while. I'll be back soon." The door was left swinging in their wake.   
They cruised down the lane in the elongated white limo, Alumniera turned to Yugi with a faint smile on her lips. " I'm sorry if I interrupted you in anything," she said, " My name is Alumniera Sekai." She smiled, and held out a hand. " I know it might seem queer...I doubt you've ever seen me before. You see, I was visiting Mokuba Kaiba one day..." she hurriedly explained what Yugi already knew. She continued when they were seated on the cushions in her home. " The fact is, I need to learn more about this," she finished quietly, holding out the majestic pair of Millennium Scales. Yugi looked down at his Millennium Puzzle. There was so much mystery about the Millennium Items...his Yami knew little about his past as the Pharaoh who had locked the powers of the Shadow Games away. " There's a lot of power in the Millennium Items," he began hesitantly, " they originated from Egypt five millennia ago. I can't tell you much, because they're so complex..." Alumniera still looked on eagerly. " You have to master the powers...I'm not even really sure what some of them do." He stopped, thinking of Yami, then murmured, " I don't think I can tell anything more..."   
  
\ Let me take over, Yugi. \  
  
It was a moment after when it was Yami in the room instead of Yugi. " Alumniera, do you know Seto Kaiba from your childhood?" he asked, not revealing that he was in the room when she and Mokuba had been talking. She turned to him, and her smile was replaced with a frown. " Why Seto Kaiba...?" Even Yami was awkward when she asked the simple question. His answer was interrupted, when she suddenly lurched forward, clutching her heart. " I..." she gasped, " Something has happened."   
  
  
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Cliffhanger! Next chappie should be out soon...this is the shortest chapter I've ever written so far. Lol. 


	5. Taken

| KAIBA MANSION |   
  
Thalia added the last peppermint over the candy house door. She looked up to see the intense, focused face of Mokuba, who was carefully trying to stick more construction icing between the two roof folds. " Here," she shoved a bag of colorful gumdrops toward him, " For the garden." " Why don't I get to do the sugar windows?" he grumbled, as he smeared the back of the gumdrop with construction frosting, then plopped it next to the side of the house. Thalia ignored him. Her ears perked up when she heard Seto's voice. " Mokuba, I'm going to the office...don't set the house up in an uproar. See you tonight," he finished shortly, and swung out the door, his indigo trenchcoat flaring out behind him. About thirty minutes later, they stepped back and admired their masterpiece. " We're going to win," said Thalia, a confident smirk on her face.   
After they emerged into the room, Mokuba immediately left for the third floor. " Where're you going?" asked his partner. He turned around, a half-grin on his face. " My brother has these really cool prototypes..." Thalia's eyes gleamed, and swiftly followed after him. Mokuba reached out for the doorknob, twisting it to reveal a huge room of advanced electronic technology. " Look at these-" The boy started to point toward a group of VirtualPods that went to the virtual reality game world, but Thalia stopped him. " Utopia." she stated shortly, pointing to a separate cluster of complex pods. Her partner glanced back, and his eyes lighted up. " Those are new ones! Let's go try them out..."  
  
| KAIBA CORPORATION |  
  
Seto Kaiba typed busily on his computer at work, hurriedly finishing the last piece of data on his most recent breakthrough. Now you didn't even have to input your idea of a perfect world manually, he had just installed something that read the brainwaves coming through your head. Now all you had to do was think of your Utopian world... Briiiiing! The phone rang loudly. He picked it up, then snapped, " Hello?" " Boss?" The quavering voice of his secretary filled his ears. " I thought I told you not disturb me while I'm up here..." he said angrily. " But..." the girl suddenly lost control and blurted out, " There's some really suspicious-looking guys who look mean and wear black that are coming to your room and they've got guns and-" her blubbering got cut off when Kaiba slammed down the phone. He barely had time to think when the door was shoved open, and five thugs entered the room. " What do you want?" Kaiba sneered. " You, and those game systems," said one of men. " On your life," threatened Kaiba. The other smirked, then pulled out a gun. " Or on yours." As the multi-billionaire crumpled to the floor, all he felt was the resounding punch from the thug to his head, and the salty corrosive bile in his mouth he coughed out. Then he blacked out.   
  
| KAIBA MANSION |  
  
" Mokuba! Mokuba!" The girl held up the edge of her Chinese-style silk robe as she ran up the stairs. Mokuba stopped just before he climbed into the VirtualPod, then turned at the shout of his name. " You can go first," he said to Thalia, then turned. The girl shrugged, and popped on the Virtual Reality helmet. The boy curiously went down the staircase, and bumped right into Alumniera. The older girl immediately clutched him to her chest, crying into his hair. " Oh Mokuba...I thought..." He pushed himself away from his friend, embarrassed and confused at the same time. He spotted Yugi in the background, shooting him a look that asked, ' What's up with HER?' Yugi's face drew a blank as he reflected on what happened...   
  
******Flashback******  
  
" Something...has happened...to Kaiba..." her breath came in uneven and sharp, her body shaking hard." Alumniera? Alumniera!" Yami had transformed back to Yugi. She stood up. " We have to go see if he's there," she murmured, her hands trembling. With that, she dragged Yugi out the door and back to the ivory-colored limo. As they entered the building, Alumniera gave a deep nod to the receptionist. He immediately buzzed open the door. They rode up in the elevator, and quickly entered Kaiba's personal office (no one stopped them, because the secretary had gone home with hysterics). Everything was in its place, Yugi noted, except for that plug in the wall-" His project," Alumniera murmured. " Where is it?" Yugi turned to the thirteen-year old. She was silent, her eyes widening at a spot on the ground. A dark, reddish tint on the ground. Blood.   
  
******End Flashback******'  
  
  
Seto Kaiba woke up woozily to see the face of his former employee. One of the Big Five, to be more specific. " Thant," he sneered. " Kaiba," the other man gave a fake smile as his oily voice interrupted the silence in the room. " What the **** do you want?" His opposition's eyes gleamed. " Oh, I don't want anything. Just a little something called revenge." The fifteen-year old genius scoffed. " Your attempts so far have been feeble." " Not when I trap your mind in there." He pointed to the VirtualPod, smirking. Kaiba snorted. " Leave me in Utopia? What a wonderful idea, let's all go on vacation." Thant gave a short, maniacal laugh. " Not when everything is reversed-it'll be your living nightmare. And you won't know how to get out of it."  
Thalia looked into the screen, which was flashing neon green. PLEASE INPUT IDEA OF UTOPIA IN YOUR MIND. PROCESSING... It was moments later when she arrived on an island. A deserted island, with a jungle, a stream, and rocks made of amythest and aquamarine and any other kind of mineral-all next to a shining turquoise sea on the oncoming of the sunset. Thalia sighed, her hard facade melting away slowly. All she had ever wanted-was to be alone. Alone, without the counselors and the language instructors. Alone, without the books and the homework. Just alone. She let the lapping waves brush her toes; let the cool breeze rush through her hair. Until the landscape began to change.   
" You've tried that already. It won't work." Seto Kaiba put on a mask of ridicule. Thant looked smug. " There's only one more prototype connected to this one, and if by chance anyone gets into that certain special machine, you still won't be able to get out, because you don't even know how." Seto glared. They had shoved him in the VirtualPod moments before, and the metal cuffs binding him down to the chair shot around his wrists so quickly he didn't have time to react. If he could just get out of it, he could break Thant's nose in five seconds flat. " Well, Kaiba, say goodbye to the world..." The helmet clunked over his head. 


	6. Together

| KAIBA MANSION |  
  
" Where's my brother?" Alumniera glanced at Yugi, mouthing, " What should we tell him?" " I..." Alumniera faltered. " I don't know. Look, Mokuba, he...wasn't at his office. And...we have eviden-reason to believe he was kidnapped." Mokuba jumped up. " Who? How? Wh-" " Mokuba!" Yugi interrupted, " Your brother...was he designing any new prototypes?" The boy looked puzzled. " Yeah, Utopia, Thalia's in one of them right now..." " Thalia?" " She's my partner for a school project," mumbled Mokuba, " Upstairs." As they scrambled up the long staircase, Mokuba asked, " Who would take my brother?" Yugi shrugged. " He has all those business executives after him..." " Seto completely wrecked them for what they did!" Alumniera shifted uneasily. " But he didn't destroy them."  
Thalia stared in disbelief as the surroundings blended into a warp of colors, and then began to change completely. No wonder. That Kaiba had some weird faulty thing that changed this. Now how was she supposed to get out? She studied the surroundings closer. A courtyard...flowers...a huge mansion...at least she wasn't stuck somewhere like Jupiter. Her delicate ears perked up in interest as she heard something...like a groan, almost. Thalia frowned. What did Kaiba input in this? Walking closer to the sound, she bumped right into...Seto Kaiba.   
Kaiba opened his eyes, and they widened as he looked around at the surroundings. No...it couldn't be...how had they done this? Could they REALLY make a nightmare come true? He stood up with a grunt. Cautiously making his way through the neatly trimmed path, he was lost in thought until he crashed into someone. His heartbeat quickened considerably, was this... It came to a pit stop when he saw Thalia. Thalia? Part of his worst nightmare? The girl stared at him, and then asked, " What are you doing here?" Kaiba quickly regained his composure. " Exactly what I wanted to ask you," he replied coolly. Thalia sweat dropped. " Do you have to be so cynical? I was the one in the most beautiful island in the world, and then they changed holograms. Your systems are incompetent," she answered sarcastically. Kaiba nearly shot back at her, but he regained control. People who direct their own multi-billion businesses and have perfectly balanced hormones don't snap back at people. " Look, kid, we have to get out of here. Now touch anything you think could transport us out of here." He hoped Thant hadn't changed that part-if he did...  
Thalia absentmindedly stuck out a hand to an evergreen tree. Nothing. There was a sudden sound-a clanging sound, metal against metal. What was that? She stepped forward curiously, but was pulled back by Kaiba. Thalia scowled, and flipped around. " What was that for-" She cut off, and furrowed an eyebrow. The older boy's color was completely drained from his face. " Stay...in back," he croaked. Thalia frowned harder, but stayed behind him as he strode forward. Kaiba stopped abruptly, on the edge of the garden path that Thalia nearly crashed into him again. " Why in the world did you-" She nearly jumped back in surprise as Kaiba's hand slammed against her mouth, muffling it. She peered around his supple body. There were two people fighting-with swords, anyway. " Yes, that's right!" she heard a feminine voice shout over the clanging, " Like this." Thalia's mouth dropped as she saw the girl's opponent...the thing was, it was Kaiba.  
" I think they might have trapped him in a video game again." Mokuba glanced at Yugi. " They've tried that before, though." " Yeah, but that was when we could go in and get him. If he just started this prototype, he'll only have a few, or maybe just one. Anyway, they was an outlet in the wall connected to a bunch of stuff that disappeared, probably Kaiba's new prototype." " Trap him in Utopia? That isn't a very bright idea of torture and revenge, is it?" Alumniera inquired. " They changed the settings last time, I bet they could do it again," Yugi answered. " But...if he only made one of every prototype...how is he going to get out of there? And if they changed the whole setting, that's just going to be hard..." Yugi nodded. Meanwhile, Mokuba was pawing for anything of significance in Kaiba's private office. He pulled out a file labeled 'UTOPIA' in huge stencil print letters. Rummaging through it, his cobalt eyes sparkled as he discovered something. " Look! My brother wrote something here..." Reading the neat scrawl, he alleged,   
  
" October seventeenth-Project Utopia programming finished yesterday. Currently undergoing tests, so far so good. Brought one prototype to Kaiba Corporation office, label: 5B341. Left three in personal testing room in mansion.   
  
October eighteenth-Figured out how to attach prototypes to one virtual reality land through advanced routers (need same label). Planning to test soon. If two people, the second person in will command the vision of Utopia. "   
  
Mokuba looked worried. " If Thalia..." He raced off to the steel room where Thalia was in the game, and Yugi and Alumniera hurriedly followed. Crouching down, Mokuba peered at a couple of symbols etched into the side of Thalia's VirtualPod. "5B341..." he turned the color of week-old porridge. " She's in with my brother." 


End file.
